OREANDA-NEWS. Anglo American has been recognised for excellence in sustainability for the 11th consecutive year and as mining industry leader for the second year running in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2013.

Mark Cutifani, Chief Executive of Anglo American, said: "We are delighted that Anglo American has again been recognised as the mining industry leader in sustainability. We continue to work hard as a team to ensure that sustainability is firmly embedded in our policies, strategies and everyday practices – to be at the heart of everything we do. I’m particularly proud that Anglo American achieved the best environmental score for the mining industry, recognising our strong performance in climate change strategy and energy efficiency."

"Our energy and carbon management programme, which we call ECO2MAN, is helping us to better understand and lower our energy consumption. In 2012 we reduced the amount of energy we used by 5% against our business as usual plan, saving us USD 75m in costs. Our water management tool, WETT, has made a significant contribution towards reducing our water usage and we now recycle or reuse 72% of our water across the board, with recycling levels as high as 90% at four of our operations. We have also set benchmarks for engaging and supporting host communities, for example through our award-winning Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox and our small business development programmes."

"There’s no doubt we are making very good progress but there is more work to do. We will continue to focus on innovation in technology and building stronger, more collaborative relationships with industry, NGOs, government and civil society to create positive impacts for the local communities where we operate,” Mr Cutifani said.

The Dow Jones Sustainability Index follows a best-in-class approach, including companies across all industries that outperform their peers in numerous sustainability metrics. The Index, assured by an external auditor, assesses economic, environmental and social performance and includes a review of policies and performance in corporate governance, risk management, climate change, energy consumption, health and safety, supply chain standards and workplace relations, among others.

Anglo American has been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index each year since 2003, rising to Gold Class in 2010.